Multiple-spindle lathe.



J. J. GRANT. MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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J. J. GRANT. MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

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Patented July 6, 1909.

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MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

rum-r1011 FILED APR. 38, 1906.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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WAN 5y? g J'. J. GRANT.

MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

Patented July 6,1909.-

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J. J. GRANT.

MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

Patented July 6, 1909.

12 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

J. J. GRANT.

MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

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926,736. Patented July 6, 1909. 12 sums-533m '1.

J. J. GRANT.

MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

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MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED 13.11.28, 1906.

Patented July 6, 1909.

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J. J. GRANT.

MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 190g.

Patented July 6, 1909.

12 SHBETBBHEET l0.

4 M20 lm em ozg 55 in: aiiogue J. J. GRANT.

MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE,

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

926,736. Patented July 6, 1909.

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MULTIPLE SPINDLE LATHE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1906.

Patented July 6, 1909.

12 SHEETS-SHEET l2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. GRANT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE GRANT AUTOMATICMACHINE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

MULTIPLE-SPINDLE LATHE.

Specification ofLetters Patent.

Patented July 6, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J on J. GRANT, a citizen of the United States,resident of Cleve land, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio,

' Y ew 2 use u m rovehave mtented a 11 md f l I p ment in Multiplepindle Lathes, of which the following is a specification, the principleof the invention being herein explained and the best mode in which Ihave contemplated applying that principle, so as to distinguish it fromother inventions My invention relates to automatic lathes andparticularly to that type of automatic laltheslin which a pluralityof'spindles is emoyem p Multiple spindle lathes, it will be obvious,present numerous features, such as increased capacity and resultantefficiency as'well as a reduction in operating expense, that recommendthem for many classes of work, even though they are not capable, atleast in their present form, of doing as accurate work as.

the older type of lathe having but a single spindle.

My invention comprehends numerous improvements in the existing form ofmultiple spindle lathes, whereby I aim to still further increase thecapacity of such machines, while at the same time enabling them toproduce a better quality of work. Certain of these improvements are moreor less radical in their nature and are quite capable of being utilizedin the construction of single spindle lathesf prime among these is theuse of a fixed tool-head and, in conjunction therewith, of a movablespindle head; aside from structural changes involved along with theabove, other such improvements are found in the stockfeeding andspeed-changing mechanisms, in

the cross-slide and the cams employed in connection therewith, in thestock rest, in the die-holding and operating mechanism, and in variousother minor details.

' All the means, including the above, that I enter into the constructionof my improved lathe, will be hereinafter fully described and thoseforming a part of my invention will be specifically set forth in theclaims.

The annexed drawings and the following description set forth in detailcertain mechanism embodying the invention, such disclosed meansconstituting but one of various mechanical forms in WlllCll theprinciple of the invention may be used.

In said annexed drawings: Figure 1 represents a front elevation of amultiple spindlelathe embodying my several improvements, the drivepulley having been ,omitted from such lathe; F ig. 2 represents a rearelevation on a largerscale of aportion of such lathe, partsbein'gsh-ownjn section; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of such lathe as'viewed from the right .in' Fig. 1 ;.Fig,." 4 is avertical transverse.crosssection of the'same taken on the line 44, Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. '5 isa similar vertical transverse cross-section taken on the line 5 5,"Fi 1,certain parts being shown, however, in s ightly modified form; Fig. 6'isa vertical transverse cross-section of the spindle-head taken on.theline 66, Figs. 1 and 2; Fig. 7 is a vertical longitudinal crosssection of such spindle-head taken on the line 7 7, Figs. 5. and 6,certain parts being shown in elevation; Figs. 8 and -9 are elevations ofthetool-head as viewed from the right end75 of the machine, and thefront thereof, res pectively; Fig. 10 is a view,- partly in elevationand partly in cross-section; of a die-holding device that is mounted insaid tool-head; Figs. 11 and 12 are respectively a front elevation and'a side elevation of the stockfeeding mechanism employed in my lathe,together with the actuating cams therefor; Figs. 13 and 14 are similarviews of a modification of such stock-feeding mechang5- ism; Fig. 15 isa plan view of a form of speed-changing mechanism designed especiallyfor my lathe; Fig. 16 is a side elevation, and Fig. 17 an end elevation,of the same, while Fig. 18 is a horizontal longitudinal cross-sectionthereof taken on the line 18 18, Fig. 16, and Fig. 19-.is a verticaltransverse cross-section taken on the line 1919, Figs. 15 and 16; Fig.20 is a front elevation of a novel form of stock-rest designed for usein connection with my lathe; Fig. 21 is a side elevation of the sameshown as being mounted on a stand mdependent of the lathe-bed; and Fig.22 isan enlarged cross-section of a detail of such rest taken on theline 22, Fig 20.

An understanding of the general disposition of the parts of my improvedmultiple spindle lathe may be most easily gained from an inspection ofFig. l. The 'bedframe A, which presents nothlng new in the way ofdesign, is suitably supported on legs A over an oil pan A which mayeither be of the removable form shown or .be made integral with, the bedas desired. The central portion of the upper surface of bed-frame Aforms a longitudinally-extending slideway a, on which is mounted a slideB, bearing a revoluble spindle-head B. At one end of slide-way a is atool-head or stock C either rigidly mounted upon the bed-frame A or,preferably, formed integral therewith, as shown. Spindle-head B isrevolved and the spindles therein rotated, and any rotary tools intoolhead C are operated from a drive-shaft D rigidly mounted withrespect to bed-frame A and lying'back of slide B and tool-head C. Themanner in which such drive-shaft is journ aled, as well as its detailedconstruction, will be taken up later. Motion is communica ed to thisshaft in part from a cone driving p illey D, Fig. 2, through suitableintermediate gearing and in part from the same pulley through anautomatic speed-changing device M, see- Fig. 1 again. Beciprocatorymotion is communicated to the slide B that bears revolnble spindle-headB, as well as to 4 various'other parts, as will hereinafter a pear, froma cam-shaft E disposed lengt wise of bed-frame A and turning in suitablebearings a 0. Such cam-shaft E is driven through the same speed-changingmechanism M as is drive-shaft D. Formed integrally withspindle-head-slide B, or else securely afiixed thereto, is a cross-slideF, which, it is thusseen, is made longitudinally reciprocable ofbed-frame A along with such slide B. At the end of slide-way a on theoposite side of spindle-head slide B from toolhead C is stock-feedingmechanism H; and at the extreme end of the bed-frame is mounted astock-rest here the stock. used of such a length as to require it, oneor more additional rests, mounted upon suitable strands provided forthat purpose,would be positioned in a line with slide B and this rest K.Having thus briefly outlined the salient features of my lathesstructure, I shall now roceed to individuallydescribe the same in t eirorder, so far as possible, and shall then conclude by indicating themanner in which their several operations are coordinated.

The details of the construction of slide B and of s indle-hezid Bmounted therein appear in igs. 4 to 7 inclusive, of which Figs. 4 and 5are a front and rear end elevation thereof, respectively, and Figs' 6and 7, a transverse and longitudinal cross-section thereof,respectively. From Figs. 6 and 7 it will appear that slide B comprises acasing or housing split in a longitudinal plane and formed with aninterior bearing surface b-in which the spindle-head B is journaled. Thelatter com rises two members I) in the form of heavy anged disks ada tedtotplose the respective ends of the sli e or casing and rigidly securedtogether by means of arms I) and screws 6 Equiangularly disposed aboutthe axis of the frame thus made up are apertures b in disks 1) whichform bearings for this description, four spindles B are employed andthis, it will be seen, determines in away the design of the variousother mechanisms cooperating therewith. of operation, however, remainsexactly the same irrespective of the number of spindles em loyed.

took-holding spindles B are, of course, tubular, and each is provided atits forward end with a chuck if whereby the stock is normally heldagainst rotation within the spindle. Such chuck is of the type regularlyemployed in machines of this character; its detailed description ishence held to be unnecessary further than to state that it is o eratedby means of a tube, b, Fig. 6, slidalily mounted'within the spindlcandreciprocated to close the chuck in the usual manner-by means of bentlevers I) suitably in the chuck tend to open the same upon the removalof conical collar b from engagement with levers I). Collar 12 isprovided with an encircling groove that serves as a means for engagingit in turn, as will a )pear, to periodically oven and close chucc b Torotate the ini'vidual spindles B each is provided int-ermediately ofdisks 1), that go to make up the spindle-head, with pinions B that meshwith an internal gear B*. T he respective lateral portions of suchinternal gear B are journaled in bearings b within the slide B that arebut continuations of the bearings of the spindle-head itself, the upperand lower- )ortions of slide or housing B being forme' with an annularrecess for the accommodation of an external gear wherevwith saidinternal gear is also provided. This external face of gear B engageswith a inion d on a shaft D, lligs. 2 and 6, whereby 1t, and through it,spindles B are driven.

Shaft D, Figs. 2 and 6, comprises primarily an inner shaft D that isdriven t irough a elongated gear teeth that form the pinion I]- alreadyreferred, to as driving external and internal gear B,. This sleev'e D isadapted to be driven directly from cone-pulley D through ear-wheels d (1the latter of which is rotata ly mounted upon such slgleve and er ewithis arranged to be connected through. a clutch D Clutch D is actuated toalternately connect and disconnect sleeve D with gear d by a lever arm Qthat in its The principle turn is rocked by a cam-wheel E on camshaft E,as will be readily understood from an inspection of Figs. 1 and 2. ShaftD is journaled at the end on which sprocket wheel (1 is mounted in abearing (i and again near its center in a second bearing d formed in aprojection from tool-head C, Fig. 8; while the end that'bears pinion (Zturns ina housing Z1? similarly projecting from the rear side ofspindle-head slide B, Fig. 2. This housing I) is also adapted to receivea pinion (Z that is splined on inner shaft D and that is held againstendwise movement in said housing so as to be carried back and forth onsuch shaft, as slide B is reciprocated, by means of a flanged s'leeve (Zintegral with said pinion and journaled 'in the housing. This pinion dis in this way kept at all times in mesh with a gear I) with -which theflange on the outer end disk b of the spindle-head B is provided, Figs.5 and 7L From the construction and connections ofdrive-shaft D it is aiparent that, through sprocket-wheel (1 ant inner shaft 1) upon which itis mounted, spindle-head B may be revolved, orindexed, within slide B asdesired; and that through sleeve D and the elongated pinion (1 formedthereon the several stock-holding spindles within said head maybe'rotated independently of the revolutionof the head as a whole; whileboth said operations are unafl'ected by the reciprocatory movement ofslide B, and with it of spindle-head B, along bed-frame A. The latterof'said two operations, that is, the rotation of the spindles B isintermittent, beingdependent upon clutch I)". This single clutch,it"will be observed, however, serves to throw the entire set of spindlesinto operation ment, as desired. The second operation, the indexing ofthe spindle-head, is also designed to be intermittei'lt and by virtue ofthe construction whereby sprocket-wheel d is driven,-is designed toprogressively revolve such head through anangular distance equal to halfthat between successive spindles; or, in the'case in hand, torevolvesuch head oneeighth of a revolution'at a time.

Aspring-aetuated bolt 1), Fig. 6-,'mounted in the side of slide-B andtransversely of the axis ofspindle-head B, is adapted to locksuch headagainstrevolution at the-end of each alternate partial revolution byengagement with sockets I) in the-head. The number of sockets; b r. ouldhence'be, obviously,

the same thenumber (if-spindles in such head, and they are-made slightlytapering, as

is also the-end of bolt 5, whereby the-accu racy ol the indexingmovement is assured; since, even though the spindle-head be atri'il'outof place, the effect of-*the-engagementtherewith ofbolt b'will be to force'it exactly-into position"; B'eltb is ada tedtobe-aetnated torelease said head by'a' ent le'-- 'ver 1) pivotallymounted "adjacentthereto,

one arm of which engages such bolt's outer end, the other arm of whichbears a roller 12 adapted, as slide B is rm iprocated. to travel on aninclined way or cam-track b, formed in the front of bed-frame A. Theconformation of this way or track is such as to leave spindle-head Bfree. to be revolved by shaft D at all timesix cept when it. occupiesits advanced position. A handle B attached to bent lever 1) permits thelatter to be manually rocked if it be. desired to release the head whenin its advanced position. l'leciprocation of slide B wherebyspindle-head B is advanced and retracted and bolt 1:" thus actuated isbrought about by means of a camdrum 1? of any approved type, that ismounted upon cam-shaft l) and engages a stud b project ing downwardlyfrom the slide,

Figs. 1 and 6, and bearing a roller at its end. Operation ol thepreviously described chucit-actuating mechanism, with which .eachspindle is providml, is intended to be effected on successive spindlesat a time when the spindledicad occupies its retracted position. Twoslightly different devices are shown in the drawing for accomplishingthis result. The -first, shown in Fig. 1,'c.onn)rises simply a secondaryslide 1 mounted in the base of turret-head slideB and adapted to bereciprocated longitudinally of said slide B by a segmental cam-drum 1C,splined on camshaft l] and carried back and forth along such shaft inunison with the movements of slide. B by means of a forked arm (1projecting downwardly from the latter. I desire to direct particularattention to this arrangement of cam E; the advantages ail'orded therebywill be set forth more fully later in connection with another similarlymounted cam. Secoinlary slide P is provided, Fig. 1, with an upwardlyprojecting arm 1) that is so disposed as to successively engage thegrooves 11 of conical clutch-actuating collars mounted on the rear endsof the spindles, as the latter are sin-.cessively positioned directlybeneath the spindlc-heads axis, in the course of the latters revolution.'ith the parts relatively disposed as shown, this would be just afterthe swindle-head has been turned to occupy one of its intermediate.an-.gular positions. (.am E" is arranged to engage and reciprocate secondaryslide P pend-. ing the engagement of its arm 7) with successive collarsin the manner just set forth] Eachsuch collar is thus actuated inturntoclose it ag'ain. A second form of-device for performing this 'samefunctionis illustrated in Fig. 5. Instead of using asecondary slide,-Imay employ, as shown here, a lever it pivoted near its center on asuitable bossformed on' the base of spindle-head slide 13. The-lowerendof this lever bearsa roller 1' that is-adapted to be'successivelyengaged by cams e e on a wheel E that is splined' oncam first open thecorresponding chuck if, then;

sive collars b just as arm 2) of the first device,

except that it is positioned to effect such engagement While thespindle-head occupies one of its normal angular positions. The cams e eon wheel E are of course arrangedto rockthe lever R and to therebyreciprocate collar 1) ,to open and close the corresponding chuck ifpending such engagement,

as before. During the brief interval that the chuck of each spindle isthus in succession held open by one form or other of device as above setforth, the stock in such spindle'is fed forward by the mechanism now tobe described. And for this operation, also, I show two slightlydifferent mechanisms respectively designed to be used in conjunctionwith type I and type R chuck-actuating device. The one to which I wouldfirst call attention is the one designed for use with the first of saidtypes and shown in connectlon therewith as H in Fig. 1 and again inenlarged detail view in Figs. 11 and 12. On referring to such figures itwill be seen that the device comprises a base member H slidably mountedlongitudinally of the bedframe A in a suitable slide-way a at the leftend of the machine. Reciprocation of such member H is periodicallyeffect-ed by the ongagement with a stud 7x pendent therefrom of asegmental cam-drum E fixedly mounted on cam-shaft E. A forked arm 71projecting downwardly from the forward end of member H engages a sleeveE that is splined on the same cam-shaftE. and bears an adjustablecam-disk E of novel construction.

It is evident from the construction just described that, as member H isreciprocat-ed by cam E sleeve t bearing cam IE will be carried back andforth in unison with such slide although its rotation with cam-shaft Eis in nowise interfered with. This arrangement of cam E and slide H andthe one employed in connection with chuck-actuating mechanism P are inall respects similar; another example of the same sort will be found inconnection with the cross-slide mechanism to be described later. Bymeans of it I am enabled to use a simple disk cam in place of a cam-drumwith a cam-plate having a combined helical and spiral camsurlace-such aswould otherwise have to be be required can be employed. At the forofbase member H of such stobk' ward eng evice H is formed a verticalslidefeeding way lt', Fig. 12;. in this slide-way is fitted a plate orblock k normally depressed by a spring k so..as to occupy a position inthe lower part thereof. The cam-disk E borne by sleeve E, is adapted toperiodically engage a roller k mounted on the face of block 72, andelevate the same against such spring M. Inaddition to this roller, blockit bears centrally mounted on its face tongs H havingjaws fitted withadjustable grippermembers 72). ed in the upper end of such tongs, and

A bolt k", transversely mountsprings h coacting therewith, tend normally'to close the'jaws of the tongs to frictionally grip the stock S whenthe latter lies be tween them. The reins h of the tongs have their lowerends beveled as shown, Fig. 12, and are so disposed as to be engaged bypins 71 mounted on slide-way h, when the block h on which such tongs aremounted, is depressed by spring h; the effect of such engagement beingto open the jaws of the tongs against the action of springs h and tothus free the stock S. It is, hence seen that the movement of block?upwardly by cam E raised tongs H- a certain distance above member H andthe top of the bed-frame at the same time freeing the reins h from pins72. thereupon the jaws of such tongs automatically close; as soon as camE has passed by, however, the block isagain de in the latter sleeve ashort worm e meshing with such gear a One projecting end 6 of this wormis squared to receive a key or wrench; the other end, which alsoprojectswithout the sleeveis threaded to receive a'nut e whereby .the worm, onceit isp'ositioned, may be securely locked in place. The length of timeduring which the stock remains thus gripped by the tongs, depends, ofcourse,

upon the length of the contacting surface of cam-disk E Such surface iscut upon'the arc of a circle and is formed by'the outer egges of aplurality of segmental disks a t erebeing two illustrated in Fig. 12 ofref:- erence. One of these disks is made inte ral with cam-sleeve e; theothers are rotatably mounted upon such sleeve 6 and are adapted to beadjustably secured together and to such fixed disk by set screws amounted as shown. In this way, by the use of sort of reversed irisdiaphr' m as it were, I can readily lengthen or s 'ortan the contactingedge of the cam desired.

This posiposition by the slide, it has been explained,

is accompanied by a partial revolution of the spindle-head mountedtherein; such partial revolution brings. one spindle into positiondirectly below the axis of the spindle-head and at the same time effectsthe engagement of the grooved conical collar 5 withthe'centrally-positioned, upwardlyprojecting arm 19 of slide P. Thelatter beingthereupon reciprocated in a forward direction by camdrum Ethe chuck of-such spindle is opened. In the meantime, stock-feedingdevice H has been retractedbycam-drurn E to its rearmost position, andatthis juncture stock-- grippingstongs H are raised to inclose andautomatically grip the stock; Thechuck of the spindle still continuingoen, device If is next ad- 'position by-cam-drum and carries the stockwith it until the latter contacts with a suitable stop. thereforprovided in the tool-head, as wil be presently described. The; stockbeing frictionally held by device H, the further move: ment of thelatter isnot interfered with as the gripping members h. oftongs H willwhile thus gripping the stoc vanced to its forward aproper adjustment ofcam-disk-E the device can, and should, be set to release the stock'themoment it has been advanced the required amount by allowing the grippingmember to dro and any unnecessary friction and wear tiius avoided, Assoon as the stock has been in this manner advanced, .calnqlrum E movescollar 1) back into position to again lock thechuck and another partialrevolution of the s indle-head carries the s indle under consi erationaway and out of engagement with-the chuck'actuating device P. A thirdpartial revolution brings and so on,

cessive spindles into position to stock-feedingdevice to advance .heldtherein.

In Figs. 13 and '14-1 illustrate a modified form of stock-feedingdevice;and, just as the'above described form was shown 'as :beingada ted tocooperate with the P type of chuc -actuating means shown in Fig. 1,

permit the the stock so the form now to be taken up is shownasadapted'to cooperate with: the Rtype of chuck actuating .meohanism,shdwn in 5. However, for that matter, either, stock feeding device maybeemployed with either type of chuck-actuating mechanism with no otherchange'from the construction shown than a slight rearrangement ofparts." Thus,

while tyI'pe-l" of chuck-actuating mechanism; as shown, is stationed toengage collars b ofsuccessive spindles as the latter occupy normalpositions, by which I mean positions corresponding with a lockedposition ofthe spindle-head, such mechanism ,inight be stationed to makesuch engagement as the spindle-head, in the course of its revolution,occupies aposition intermediate of two normal positionsl The station offeedingdevice Twould have to be correspondingly shifted to substantiallythe center line of the lathe-bed. Similarly chuck-actuating mechanism Pand stock-feeding device ll might be stationed to operate in conjunctionwith a spindle occupying a normal position instead of being stationedcentrally as shown and described. Aside from these changes in position,the operation of the several parts would, of course, require to bedifferently time-3. depending u on the manner in which they werecombined and how they were stationed.

The modified form of stocl -feeding device of Figs; 13 and 14 comprises,as does the one first described, a base-member, designated by T, andstock-gripping means mounted thereon so as to be movable transverselythereof. Base member T, however, as shown, is not longitudinally.rcciprocablc along the top of bed-frame A, but is, on the contrary,fixed thereto; while the stockgripping means are positioned on saidmember as before by cam-disk E Such base member is formed on its upperface with a slide-way t, shown as being. inclined, although notnecessarily so constructed. In this slideway is mounted a block t-.thathas a rack t on its under side; and pivotally mounted on the under-sideof Qbase Tis a bell-cra'nk 25*, one arm of which projects up wardly andbears a segmental gear i that meshes with such rack r. The other arm ofthe bell-crank bears a roller t that is adapted to contact with the edgeof cam-disk E whereby, as such disk rotates with shaft IE, it is-evidentthat. block t will be reciprocated, the weight'of the block serving tomaintain the roller t at all times in operative contact with such disk.on its upper face block if is provided with a pair of ears t bc tweenwlnch are pivotally mounted two short levers i provided at their upperends with adjustable gripper members i". A member t of elliptical orequivalent cross-section is also ivotally mounted on the upper face oftheir, being so disposed as to lie between the lower ends of the loverst In its normal position member t" is designed to lie flatewise betweensuch lever-ends, thus permitting thegripper-bearing ends to open. Byrotatingsuch member, however, through a'qluanter of 'a turn, it willobviously cause sue ends to close by spreading the ends between which itlies. Oscillation of the member 19 to cheat this result is periodicallyeffected by the engagement of a finger E mounted on cam-shaft E with arock-arm T mounted on one end of the member and provided with a pin iprojecting laterally into the ath of such finger. When a piece of 5 stocS lies between the gripper-ends t of levers t the adjustment is designedto be desired. With respect to cam-disk E, the

adjustment of the fingers should be suchas to effect both the closingand the opening of the grip er-end's of levers i during the time thatsue levers are elevated by the action of the cam-disk. The angularposition of the latter as well as the adjustment of the fingers withinthe limits noted depend upon the o erative relations that this device asa wiole has with the stock-holding mechanism, '5. 6. with thespindle-head B and the spindles rotatably mounted therein. In thisconnection it will be remembered, see Fig. 5, that at all times thechuck-actuating collar 1) of some one spindle B is in engagement withmechanism R whereby such collar is operated. Where the above-describedtype T of stock-feeding mechanism is employed, mechanism R is arrangedto o crate such collar 1) to open the spindle-c uck corres ondingtherewith, when the retraction of t e spindle-head slide begins. At thesame time cam E raises the gripping device of feeding mechanism T intooperative relation with the stock in the spindle under consideration andthereupon finger E actuates such device to firmly grip the stock untilfinger E comes into p ay and in turn opens the grip ing device.Accordingly it is seen that Whl e the splindle-head and spindle arebeing.

retracted t e stock in the latter is held stationa for the intervalbetween the o eration 0 the two fingers, and is thus, in e ect, advancedor fed through thespindle. The amount thus fed forward is gaged by theadjustment of thefingers, and as soon as the gripping device releasesits hold, mechanism B may again effect the closure of the spindleschuck. By this time the grip ing device T is entirely withdrawn from t estock and the spindle-head may be -revolved to bring 'anot er spindleinto operative relationwith such device and with mechanism R..

5 Only an approximate gaging of the length of the stock' thus fedforward is possible by means of the adjustment of fingersE and' E aboveset forth; A; stop has tobe provided' as in connection with the otherdevice to accurately effect such gaging, and along with such stop it mayprove desirable to im' part to the feeding-device T a slight reciprocatory movement. This stop, however, instead of being alined with aspindle occupying an intermediate angular position as. is ?j the oneillustrated,would have to be similarly reciprocably mounted in atool-holding pocket of tool-head C in conjunction with the tooloccupying the same position. Since the stop does not form in either casea part of rocable, could be made to operate the same as the firstdevice.

Inasmuch as the stock must be free not only to move forward under theaction of, the stock-feeding mechanism, but mustalso accompany thespindle-head in its revolution and reciprocationfl have found itnecessary to devise a form of stock-rest K tomeet. these conditions,Figs. 20, 21 and 22. As has already been indicated, I may em loy as manyof these restsK as the lengtlimf stock in use makes necessary, the firstbeing 10( supported at the extreme left end of the bed frame A, Fig. 1,the others on suitable stands K shown in dotted outline, Fig. 21. Eachsuch rest com rises an annular frame K having a suita le base k, and arevoluble member K supported on ball-bearings k within such frame K Inthis member K is a series of aperturesdc in which the stock is intendedto he and through which it moves longitudinally as the spindle-headreciprocates and the stock-feeding device operates.

The number of such apertures and their disosition is, of course, made tocorrespond with that of the spindlesrinthe spindle-head.

When'the spindle-head revolves, the entire frame K revolves in unisonwith it in frame K But little. additional force is required to effectsuch' revolution by' virtue of the ball-bearings 1c. jwhich practicallyeliminate all friction. Thgmovementof the stock in the apertures isLikewise considerably facilitated by the employment of ball-bearings inthe manner clearly appearing in- Fig. 22.

Around the edge of each such-aperture a double race-Way k k is formed bymeans of a flanged sleevek, a partition k and an annular retaining plateis". In such raceway are retained anti-friction steel balls k of such adiameter as to project slightly within the opening. The stockaccordingly is, in

I and feeding means.

'andwith the expenditure of little energy.

All the mechanism thus far described may be inclusively designated asstock-holding By it l am enabled to alternately advance and retractlongitudi nally a plurality of rods or other pieces of stock; to rotatethe same individually as desired; to intermittently progressively re-'volve them as a whole about a common axis so as to cause each one tooccupy in turn a definite angular position, or series of positions, withreference to such axis; and to successively feed each such piece ofstock forward a predetermined amount. In other words, by opposing tosuch stock a set of rigidly-mounted tools, preferably equal in number tothat of the s indles wherein such stock is held, I am ena led to bringin turn each piece of stock into operative relation with each tool andto simultaneously perform supcessive operations on different pieces ofstock. The tools referred to are mounted 'in suitably formed and disosed tool-holding pockets 0 in the fixed tool -head Figs. 1, 8 and 9.Aside from its being rigidly attached to the bed-frame A, the only novelfeature in such toolshead is the disposition of lock bolts 0 whereby thetools are locked in aforesaid pockets 0. These all lie horizontal andare arranged so as to bring their heads together on the front side ofthe tool-head where they are most readily accessible.

Ordinarily they are arranged so as to project at points adjacent to thecorresponding pockets and those in the rear are gotten at only with muchdifficulty. The stop Fig. 1, which is utilized in connection-with thestock-feeding device H, as has been before indicated, to accurately gagethe length of stock advanced thereby, comprise-s simply a rod fitted toan aperture 0 in t e tool-head. Such rod is adjustably mounted on aslide 0 longitudinally reciprocable on the top of bed-frame A. Movementof the slide 0 is effected at stated intervals by means of a segmentalcam-drum E of the usual form that is ada )ted to engage a stud cprojecting downwardly therefrom. The object in having the stop thusreciprocable, it will be of course understood, is to permit itsretraction at all times except when actually in use. Cams and E areaccordingly timed to simultaneously feed the stock forward and toadvance the stop. The rod" forming the stop proper, being adj'ustablymounted on the slide, may be made to occupy any desired position whenadvanced,and the length of stock fed forward is regulated thereby.

No tools are shown as being mounted in tool-head C in any of the figuressince both the character and disposition of such tools necessarilyvaries with each job. A die or tap for cutting threads, however, almostinvariably forms one of these tools-and for this -reason I have deviseda die or tap holder, Figs. 1 and 10, for use in conjunction withaforesaid tool-head. This holder is designed 'particularly for use witha self-opening or self-releasing thread-cutting tool and com prisesadjustable means for regulating the length of thread to be cut. As shownin said figures, it is fitted in the lower right-hand pocket of thetool-holder C, viewing the lat ter as shown in Fig. 8. It consistsessentially of a spindle slidably but non-rotatably held in such pocketand provided with two collars c in which two supplementary guide rods 0are mounted one in each side. These rods slide in apertures formed toreceive'them in head C, and one of them is threaded for about half itslength from the rearmost of collars A nut c is adjustably positionedalong such threaded portion. The rear end of spindle 0" is slidablymounted in a reciprocatory member C mounted on bed-frame A like theslide 0 whereby stop-rod C is actuated, and like it provided with a.downwardly projecting stud c, that is periodically engaged by asegmental cam-drum E" on cam-shaft E. Spindle c and reciprocatory memberC" are held against disengagement by means of a collar 0 secured to theextreme end of the fennel, and intermediately of said member and thenearest of collars is interposed a 'helical spring a. This spring isstill enough to properly move the tool-holder forward upon the stock asmember 0 is advanced by cam E until nut on guide-rod 6 contacts with thehead whereby such movement is arrested, further advance of thc slidcresulting silliply in a compression of the spring. By varying theposition of nut c on such rod the amount of forward movement given thetoolholder can obviously be adjusted to cause any desired length ofthread to be cut.

In case it is desired to fit a rotary tool, as a der that the slide maybe held perfectly rigid with respect to said spindle-hcad. 1 furthermorereferably employ two independent cross-slide members 1*, F Fig. 4, whichare mounted most conveniently in a single transverse slideway, one oneach side of the center members.

line of the machine. These slide-members are provided with suitable tool-holding 'means, not shown, on their upper faces, as

will be readily understood, and they are normally retained in a positionremoved as far as possible from such center line by springsf frespectively; movement thereof inwardly is periodically effected bymeans'of bent levers F F pivotally mounted on the underside of base Fand bearing on their upper ends toothed segments f f respectivelymeshing with racks f? f 5 on the corresponding-slide- These racks f 4 fare in fact Worms that are mounted in suitable bearings in the ends ofthe slides so as to be rotatable but held against endwise movementtherein, and the teeth of segments ff are of course cut to correspondtherewith. The outer ends f of such worms f 4 f 5 are prolonged so as toproject ashort distance Without the slides and are squared,. as shown,to receive a wrench whereby the worms may be rotated when desired andthe position thereof relatively to segments f and f so varied as tothrow the slides inwardly as desired when 1evers F F are rocked. Even acoarse worm employed in this connection will admit of quite exacttransverse adjustment of the tool borne by the slide-member While anydegree ofrefinement may be introduced into such adjustment by the use ofa worm of less pitch. Graduations on a sleeve f 6 mounted on theprojecting end of each worm, in connection with a zero-mark on theadjacent surface of the *worms bearing, afford means for measuring suchadjustment.

Rocking of lever-arms F F and consequent actuation of tool-bearingslidemembers F F in the manner described is effected by the -engagementof cam-disks E and E Figsxl and 4, with the-lower ends of said armsrespectively, such lower ends being. provided with rollers, as usual.Camdisks E and E 'are ang'ularly adjustably mounted on a sleeve Esplined oncamshaft E and adapted to be carried back and forth along thesame as spindle-head slide B, and with it cross-slide F, arereciprocated on slide-way a, the construction being similar to thatpreviously described as being emloyed in connection with cams E and'E. yvarying the angular positions of cams E and E upon sleeve E thereciprocations -of slides F and F may be independently inner end of armF by the corresponding cam E into an inward movement of slide F it isobviously necessary to introduce an additional geared member F betweenthe toothed segment on the upper end of such arm. and the worm rack finsuch slide. Previous reference to toothed segment f" as form, therebeing'a number of satis being a part of arm F is hence correct only byassuming this member F to be functiona'lly'a partof the lever arm, as itmay truthfully be said to be.

By virtue of the novel construction of crossslide' set forth, I achievetwo desirable results. In thefirst lace, since the spindlehead B and thetoolean'ng members of the cross-slide are mounted in the same integralframe or base-member, the spindles in such head and the tools on suchslide-members are held rigidly inplace with respect to each other, thu'sinsuring an accuracy of operation not attainable were the spindle-headslide-and cross-slide separate. In the sec- 0nd place, the operation ofthe tools of the cross-slide can commence in either the retractedoradvanced position of the s indlehead slide and may continue if foun ableduring the reci rocation of the same. Thus where, as wou d be usuallythe case, oneof such-tools is a forming tool and the other a cutting-0Etool, the o eration of the forming-tool could begin witi the advancemovement of the spindle-head slide and be, over by the time suchmovementwas com-- desiris derived through suitable gearing from a'single cone drivepulley D, Figs. and3; such gearing, it was furtherseen, aside from the direct drive of sleeve 1) which forms that part ofshaft D whereby the spindles B are rotated, includes a speed-changingmechanism M, Figs. 1 and 3. Such speedchang-. ing mechanism may be ofany approved actory devices at present in use that can be readilyadapted to the situation here, presented.

However, I have devised, and here show in Figs. 15 to 19 inclusive ofthe drawings, a form of device especially designed for use in connectionwith my lathe, and hence-embodying a number of novel features. Suchmechanism includes a short horizontal secondary driving-shaft M,journaled at a a, and bearing a sprocket-wheel m directly connected bymeans of a sprocket chain m with a sprocket-wheel d keyed on the sameshaft asdrive-pulley D, Figs. 2, 3 and 15.

Adjacent to such. secondarv driving-shaft M and parallel therewith is' asecond shaft- M j ournaled in bearings a a and extending into roximitywith another shaft disposed transversely across the end of the machine.Shaft M bears a worm m that engages'a large Worm-gear E on theendofcam-shaft E and soserves to rotate the

